The primary treatment most doctors use for chronic Lyme disease is long term courses of antibiotics, but relapses sometime occur when the antibiotic treatment is discontinued. Further, antibiotic treatment is costly and can damage the body.

In one study, the results of which were published in Townsend Letter in 2010, two herbal extracts, Samento and Banderol, as well as doxycycline (which is one of the principal antibiotics used for Lyme disease treatment) were tested for their in vitro effectiveness on several of the different morphological forms of B. burgdorferi, including spirochetes, round bodies, and biofilmlike colonies, using fluorescent, darkfield microscopic, and BacLight viability staining methods.

The results of the study showed that both herbal agents, but not doxycycline, had very significant effects on all forms of B. burgdorferi, especially when used together. This suggests that herbal agents may provide an effective therapeutic approach for Lyme disease patients.